The Death Of China's Rivers - Chilling Asia Times Article

[hatrack]

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"'Man must conquer nature,' declared the Party, but the result was that a once-fertile plain was wrecked by droughts alternating with violent flash flooding. The most extended period of drought was as long as 247 days in 1999, forcing cities and towns to build more reservoirs or to rely on wells chasing shrinking underground aquifers deeper and deeper underground. Although such massive engineering achievements have been trumpeted as among the greatest symbols of communist state power, 3,000 of these (ed. Yellow River basin) dams collapsed, including many along the Huai River. In August 1975, the Shimantan and Banqiao dams gave way, killing 240,000 by some accounts.

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All but a handful of the 300 tributaries that feed into the Hai River are now dry, with dire consequences for a population of 120 million people in the Hai river basin. But agricultural runoff from chemical fertilizers, industrial effluent and urban waste have rendered the water in most of its reservoirs undrinkable. In desperation, Tianjin ordered hundreds of officials to patrol the river banks to prevent theft of the precious water. The city has shut down public baths, saunas and other entertainment centers and rationed water to just eight cubic meters a month per person.

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Water quality is also a big problem. Most of the 20 billion tonnes of urban sewage that China's expanding cities produce each year is dumped straight into rivers and lakes. China now holds the unenviable record of producing as much organic water pollution as the United States, Japan and India combined. Experts calculate that 700 million Chinese consume drinking water contaminated with levels of animal and human waste that do not meet minimum state drinking-water standards. No one is sure what this means. Any research into the subject has been discouraged by the government but China's high rates of hepatitis A, diarrhea, and liver, stomach and esophageal cancer may be linked to the pollution."

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Much more at:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EH26Ad01.html

[GAspnes]

1. that is one scary article

with some even scarier implications.

Disease will flourish -- SARS may be just the first of many to emit from China as the population weakens and the poisoned lakes and rivers breed variants.

There's an inverse hockey-stick when the aquifers run out. Suddenly, no water. Mass migrations. Mass die-offs. Loss of populace to farm arable land results in a sudden drop in the food supply, and more deaths.

The opportunity cost of these massive engineering projects may stimulate the economy for a while, but they are the wrong kind of infrastructure to be building when China is trying to move into the post-industrial age. A yuan crash would impoverish millions.

I see nothing good in this, nor do I see an immediate solution. There are too many problems occurring at once. Draining the aquifers while dumping sewage and agricultural waste into the remaining drinkable water supplies, rivers not just low, but dry, desperate attempts to pipe water for hundreds of kilometers (just think of the terrorism possibilities).

I'm still coping with the facts, let alone the implications.

[hatrack]

2. Chinese history is not terribly encouraging

For thousands of years, Chinese civilization has been marked by periods of tremendous economic, political and cultural growth, followed by catastrophic collapses.

In many cases, the collapses have been caused by failed governments or foreign invasion, or both operating simultaneously. However, drought, floods and famine have also played their parts, both in precipitating these events and as consequences.

This time around may be different, and far worse. Restoring post-collapse government authority (which has always been a monumental task in China) is far simpler and quicker than restoring an aquifer, decontaminating entire river basins, or cleaning up the results of 50 years' of industrialization by a population now greater than one billion human beings.

It may be that a nation as hard-working, inventive and determined as China may find ways around these problems, but environmental problems over there are entrenched and extremely complex.

[cprise]

3. I agree except

They do have plans for massive nuclear-powered water desalinization plants.

If they can keep China from becoming "suburban", they'll get through.

Now India, that's worrisome. Their population is still skyrocketing.

[dArKeR]

4. By far this isn't just China, I know it's all of Asia and thus I could

extrapolate it is/will happen in Africa and South America. Next time I drive by the river I'll bring my camera and show you.